Device for cleaning bottoms of ships.



PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

J. FORREST. DEVICE FOR CLEANING BOTTOMS OP SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 28, 1903.

2 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

NO MODEL.

/\ [/VVEN'IOR BY %VMCZM' Affomey PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

J'. FORREST. DEVICE FOR CLEANING BOTTOMS 0P SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

W/TNE .5155.-

Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT ()EEICE.

JAMES FORREST, OF SPOKANE, WVASHINGTON.

DEVICE FOR CLEANING BOTTOMS OF SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,434, dated September 6. 1904.

Application filed December 23, 1903. Serial No. 186,863. No model.)

To (all 2071/0111 it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES FoRREsT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Cleaning Bottoms of Ships,&c.; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for cleaning ships bottoms; and the object of the invention is to produce means for removing the marine growth and other foul material formed upon the bottom of a ship without the necessity of putting the ship in dry-dock and scraping the bottom, as is usually the custom.

More specifically, my invention comprises a rotary brush actuated by means of a motor mounted within a hermetically-sealed casing containing a motor adapted to drive propeli ling-screws which are designed to hold the brush against the side of the ship while the brush is rotating and in the provision of apropeller for moving the casing of the brush along the side of the ship.

The invention comprises, further, various details of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

I illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved apparatus for cleaning ships bottoms. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a portion of the hull of a ship, showing a diagrammatic view of the apparatus held in position against the side of the ship.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a casing, which may be made of any suitable material and contains one or more motors, (indicated in the drawings by letters B and B,) there being two shown in the present instance, and said motors are mounted, respectively, upon the shafts C and C. journaled in suitable bearings. J ournaled in the projecting arms A of said casing is a shaft D, carrying a rotary brush D, and fixed to the projecting end of the shaft D is a sprocket-wheel E, about which a chain F travels, which runs about a sprocketwheel G, fixed to rotate with the shaft H, which is journaled in suitable bearings in the opposite walls of themotor-casing. The shaft H is provided with a pulley-wheel H, rotating therewith, and a belt or chain 1 passes about said pulley-wheel H and also a pulleywheel K, which is fixed to rotate with the shaft C, whereby motion is imparted from the motor-shaft C to the wheel Gr through the medium of the connections described. Mounted in suitable bearings in the top of the motorcasing are two stub-shafts N and N, to the lower ends of which are fixed beveled gearwheols M and W, respectively, which are in mesh, respectively, with the beveled gears O and O, fixed to rotate with the shaft H, whereby motion may be imparted to said stubshafts. Fixed to the stub-shaft N is a right screw-propeller Q, while a left propeller Q, is fixed to the stub-shaft N, said propellers being made right and left for the purpose of holding the motor securely in place while the brush is acting upon the bottom or side of the ship.

Journaled in suitable bearings in the casing and underneath the shaft H is ashaft R, having a pulley-wheel R fixed to rotate therewith, which has belt connections with a pulley-wheel R", which is fixed to rotate with the shaft 0, and T T designate shafts journaled in suitable bearings, with the outer ends of said shafts projecting through the rear wall of the casing, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 8 of the drawings. Said shafts T have beveled gears T fixed thereto, which are in mesh with beveled pinionsl keyed to rotate with the shaft R, whereby rotary movement is imparted to the propeller-carrying shafts T. Fixed to the projecting ends of the shafts T are the propellers S and S, provided for the purpose of advancing the apparatus to bring the brush against the various parts of the surface of the ships sides or bottom. Suitable wheels W and W are provided, which are adapted to come in contact with the sides or bottom of the ship as the motor travels over the outer surface thereof. A bracket-arm J projects from the rear end of the casing, and the cable J is adapted to be fastened to said bracket-arm, the other end passing about a drum K mounted upon the deck of the vessel. Electric wires P connect the motor with any suitable source of supply from the ship, and as a means for notifying the operator of the fact that the apparatus has reached the bottom of the ship when the casing is lowered into the Water an electric signal is provided and consists of a wire L, suitably insulated and connected with a spring L, which projects from the frame carrying the brush, and a push-button L is carried by said spring, and as said spring is lowered into the water and comes in contact with the keel of the boat the spring will be compressed and the circuit closed, which will cause a bell or other signaling apparatus to be sounded upon the vessel, so that the person manipulating'the apparatus may know. when to turn on the current for the purpose of starting the motors in the casing. The operation of my apparatus is simple and is as follows: The casing is lowered from the side of the vessel, as shown in the diagrammatic view in Fig. 4, and when the propelling-motors on the top of the casing are started they will cause the casing carrying the brush to press against the side of the ship, while the propeller-wheels at the rear of the casing will advance the same and give a rapid rotary movement of the brush against the side of the vessel, the pressure with which the brush bears being sufiicient to cause all marine growth and foul matter, particles, &c., to be removed from the side of the vessel without the necessity of putting it in dry-dock and scraping the same. After the apparatus has been driven over the water-line down to the keel to clean a strip of the surface the easing may be withdrawn to the surface and the brush driven over a new surface until the entire bottom and sides of the ship have been gone over.

While I have shown a particular form of construction of apparatus embodying the features of my invention, it will be understood that I may makealterations, if desired, in certain details of the construction of the device without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for cleaning ships bottoms comprising a motor-casing, a brush carried thereby, motors within the casing adapted to drive said brush, two sets of propeller-wheels driven by the motors in the casing one set adapted to hold the casing and brush against the bottom or side of the ship and the other set to advance the same, as set forth.

2. An apparatus for cleaning ships bottoms, comprising a motor-casing. motors mounted therein, a rotary brush journaled outside the casing and driven by one of said motors, right and left screws arranged in pairs and driven by motors within the casing, and a second set of propellerwheels working in a plane at right angles to the first named propellerwheels, as set forth.

3. An apparatus for cleaning ships bottoms comprising a motor-casing, arms projecting therefrom, a rotary brush journaled upon said arms, motors in the casing, geared connection between one of said motors and said brush. right and left propeller-wheels mounted upon a shaft passing through the top of the casing, a motor and propeller-shafts projecting through the rear of the casing, propellers upon said propeller-shafts and geared connections for driving said motors, as set forth.

4. An apparatus for cleaning ships bottoms comprising a motor-casing, motors mounted therein, a rotary brush journaled in arms projecting from said casing, antifriction-wheels journaled at the ends of said arms, and an antifriction-wheel journaled at the rear of the casing, propeller-shafts projecting through the top of the casing, right and left motors fixed to said shafts, propeller-shafts projecting through the rear end of the casing and propellers thereon, and geared connections with the motors for driving said shafts, as set forth.

5. An apparatus for cleaning ships bottoms comprising a motor-casing, motors therein, a rotary brush, geared connections with said motor and propelling-wheels, and means connected with said motors for driving the same, a spring fastened to the projecting portion of the casing, an electric connection with said spring, and a push-button at the end of the spring, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES FORREST.

Witnesses:

A. B. RAILTON, J. M. PAHNGREN. 

